POOL TRAGEDY: One toddler dies, another in critical condition

Jason Hawk | Civitas Media An ambulance departs from a West Road residence Wednesday after two toddlers were hurt in a swimming pool incident.

One toddler has died and another is in critical condition after falling into an above-ground swimming pool Wednesday morning in Pittsfield Township.

The incident occurred at a home-run daycare operation at 17853 West Rd., next to the Caley Reservation Metro Park.

A resident at the house discovered the children — a 22-month-old girl and 23-month-old boy — partially submerged in the pool, according to Lorain County sheriff’s deputies.

Both children, who were cousins, were transported to Oberlin Mercy Allen Hospital where the girl was pronounced dead. The boy was later taken by LifeFlight to Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital where he remains in critical condition.

Wellington firefighters were first on the scene at 10:32 a.m. with deputies arriving shortly thereafter.

“Obviously it’s a tragic situation for everybody involved,” said Wellington fire chief Mike Wetherbee. “We’re just trying to cope here. Everyone reacts to situations like that differently. One of our big concerns is making sure the mental health needs of our responders are taken care of.”

Rescuers are going through a “stress debriefing” to help them deal with what they saw.

It is not known how long the children were in the water. A fence surrounds the pool but it’s unknown whether the gate was properly secured.

The investigation is ongoing with no criminal charges filed at this time.

Jonathan Delozier can be reached at 440-647-3171 or @DelozierNews on Twitter.

Jason Hawk | Civitas Media An ambulance departs from a West Road residence Wednesday after two toddlers were hurt in a swimming pool incident.